Everyday Creative, Creative Every Day

Entries from: July 2018

I recently finished reading a review copy of Breaking Up with Busy: Real Life Solutions for Overscheduled Women by Yvonne Tally.

While I do tend toward feeling so busy, the parts of the book discussing how to move away from busied behavior was less helpful for me than all the tips on goal setting and self-care.

Yvonne Tally says a panic attack, brought on by stress, led her to reassess her life and take a more mindful approach to her life. This is so common and relatable! Recently in an interview with Jonathan Fields on the Tilt Parenting podcast, Fields noted that you don't take time for yourself, the body will force you to take that time. And when that happens, it will take more time to recover than if you had made your self-care a priority earlier.

What I especially liked in the book was the coaching style questions that got me thinking about my goals, what I'm getting out of not reaching those goals, what I will get out of making changes, taking doable actions, and imagining the results. Tally also has a great breakdown of the want/need connection. Dissecting what you need to get what you want and then looking at why you want that now is powerful.

I've been so into combining visualization with meditation lately, so her suggestions on that front were great timing. Creativity and a big imagination has good sides and bad sides. I think creative people are often quite good at imagining worst case scenarios in vivid detail. I like how Tally suggests combining meditation with storytelling and imagination in a positive way. Whether you believe in the power of attraction or not, I find the practice to be relaxing and empowering. And certainly a better than letting my imagination wander into worry!